Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 10, 1 October 1992 — Healing ceremony anticipates return of island [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Healing ceremony anticipates return of island

Cleansing rites of healing and rejuvenat

by Jeff Clark For many Hawaiians, the past bombing of Kaho'olawe and the future hopes for its retum are symbolic of the Hawaiian nation — its history and future restoration. This symbolism helped inspire a recent ritual to heal the island. Approximately 350 Hawaiians and Hawaiians by hānai journeyed to Kaho'olawe in late August to mix their collective mana with that of Kaho'olawe, and to pray for the island's eventual return from federal control.

The spirit of the Aug. 22 ceremony, "E Kaho'olawe, E Ho'omālamalama Hou Ana Ka Mauli ola Kohemālamalama (Kaho'olawe: The Quality of Lifestyle Will Again Shine Forth at Kohemālamalama)," spells new hope, not only for the island, but also for the Hawaiian people as they move forward to greater self-determination. Ceremonial rites were held in whieh a mua ha'i kūpuna (plaee to recall our ancestors) was dedicated, elected officials committed themselves to protecting the island, and a grove of niu (coconut) was planted. OHA provided the funding, the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation oversaw protocol, and the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana handled the logistics. The event, held at Hakioawa Bay on the island's northeast corner, had been planned since October 1991. OHA Trustee A. Frenchy

DeSoto, who is also a member of the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance Commission, asked Parley Kanaka'ole of the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation what could be done to mark the KICC's report to Congress and to stress Hawaiians' desire for the return of the island. The report won't be delivered to Washington until December and won't be acted on until sometime next year, but "you don't wait until they give it to you," Kanaka'ole said. "This is our way of asserting ourselves in a gentle way. "If you're Hawaiian, be it. Don't wait for someone to tell you you're Hawaiian. If you're Hawaiian, practice your culture." Kūpuna from eaeh island and a number of elected officials were invited to participate in the ceremony. OHA Trustees Thomas Kaulukukui, Sr. and Abraham Aiona, Gov. John Waihe'e, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, state Sen. Malama Solomon, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka's son Kaniela, and a representative of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink all flew in by helicopter. When the time for the ceremony approached, kūpuna and observers ascended the bluff on the right side of the bay and took their places to the left of and in front of the mua. The mua, a stone platform similar to a heiau, is about 40 feet wide and 20 feet across, and about 4-5 feet high in front and a foot or two high in back. Built without tools over

three weekends during July and August, it is not a heiau, but its function is similar, Pua Kanahele of the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation said. Parley Kanaka'ole said the mua's name, "Kahualele," eame to him in a dream. The name signifies that the mua is a special plaee whose fruit will be "borne by many to other parts of the islands," he said, adding that there are many kaona, or hidden meanings, in a name. The name was proper and felt good, but "only later on we'll find out how suitable the name is." After the elected officials and

kūpuna had taken part in hi'uwai or ritual purification by immersing themselves in the oeean, the ceremonial procession began. Two men adorned in ti-leaf capes stood at the base of the bluff, eaeh holding a kahili. Lining the path up to the bluff were three malo-clad, tattooed men ready to assist the less-agile ascend the short but steep trail. Eaeh participant approached the front of the mua with an attendant. There was a brief dialogue, with a chanter on the left side of the mua asking, " Who are you and why are you here?" and the attendant translating for the participant. Eaeh participant was chanted on to the mua with a mele inoa (name or genealogy chant). The participants presented a ho'okupu (offering), walked onto the mua via a stair in the back left corner, and sat down. It had been specified that ho'okupu should consist of either 'awa, coral or wai (fresh water).

Others on the mua included OHA Trustee Frenchy DeSoto and Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana members Les Kuloloio and Dr. Emmett Aluli. The PKO members, the warriors of the island, were chanted on by fellow PKO member Davianna McGregor. When the ceremony began, a big, black double-billowed cloud drifted directly above the bluff, and the wind died. For a few minutes all was still. As the ceremony progressed the wind picked up strongly and the blackness moved on. Kaho'olawe was clear and the sun was bright and hot.

The mua ha'i kupuna, or plaee to recall our ancestors, was dedicated to the kupuna who passed away supporting the fight for the return of Kaho'olawe. *

No photography was allowed on Kaho'olawe the weekend of the ceremony. These images were taken from video footage shot by Kālama Productions.

OHA Trustee A. Frenchy DeSoto, right approaches the mua ha'i kūpuna assisted by her kako'o, Melvin Pu'u.

ion performed on Kaho'olawe

Eaeh of the participants drank cups of 'awa, ladled by Kanaka'ole and served by a perspiring helper who, head down, moved about the platform in a posture of supplication. Those who sat on the mua were

asked to give t h e i r w o r d t h a t t h e y would h e 1 p

support, perpetuate and encourage the Hawaiian culture and heritage. They were asked to give their word on behalf of their ancestors seven generations back and on behalf of their descendants seven generations

to eome. lhey made personal, not political, commitments. In the days following the ceremony, Kanaka'ole would say, "The hua — the word — gives life to the mua, the mua gives life to the 'āina; and the 'aina heals itself through the word." After the ritual was complete a remarkably less-solemn ceremony was held on the beach. Two hundred coconuts were planted in a joyous, rhythmic manner to the accompaniment of chant. Eaeh seed was planted by a male and female, who first held the nut to the sky and then together placed it in the earth and covered it with dirt. With the spirit of procreation in mind, the sowers smiled and giggled as they scampered from row to row. On Sunday, when only half a dozen people remained, 40 'ulu (breadfruit) were planted. An additional 200 niu were to be planted in the days following, and water systems were being planned to irrigate the island's newest life. PKO member Dan Holmes said of the plantings, "It's a joyous thing, perpetuating the culture, perpetuating the ecology of the island, bringing it back to its former self."

Holmes would later say, "Things are moving in the right direction. It's only the beginning ... the beginning of what's to eome. I can't say what that is because I don't know. But it's a good beginning." Following the ceremony, Walter Ritte, Jr., who was part of the early accesses onto Kaho'olawe in the 1970s, said he was gladto see "a lot of new stuff going on. A lot of new energy — good for the island." Back at the eamp, Sen. Inouye told how his mother, born on Maui, v/as orphaned at age 5 but was hānai (adopted) by a Hawaiian family. He said that he will repay the kindness shown his mother by that 'ohana. He noted that he helped to

temporarily stop the bombing of Kaho'olawe, and vowed that he and his colleagues "will do ourbest to make that permanent." "There will be no more bombing of Kaho'olawe," Inouye said. Waihe'e, still wearing shorts and

k I h e i , said he w a s happy to be able to discard the Traooin?s

of his office and partake in the ceremonies as a private citizen. "Back in 1976, and '77, and '78, when we were all working for the return of Kaho'olawe, who would have thought the day would eome that

the governor of the state of Hawai'i and a United States senator and a United States congressman would be joining us here on this 'āina. ... this is incredible," he said. Waihe'e stressed the importance of Kaho'olawe's plaee in the awakening of the Hawaiian nation. " You know, the nation of Hawai'i has always existed. There are periods of time when it is asleep. It is now currently being reaffirmed. New words have eome out, things like 'sovereignty' and the like. But I ean tell you if it were not for Kaho'olawe, we would not have the foundation that we stand upon today. Because it is here that we found that when we talked about things Hawaiian it meant more than something eeonomie or something political. It was something spiritual, it was special. And the pain of Kaho'olawe laid the foundation for us to stand onee again and to reaffirm our nationhood. That is what the significance of this movement is. "And so to the Protect

Kaho'olawe 'Ohana there is a debt. And this island, this day, this eelebration is our opportunity to look back and to acknowledge those that laid that foundation for all of us so that we ean pass it on to future generations. " I am part of the lost generation. We're not old enough to be kūpuna, we are left-over activists. And as I look around today, I see the young people of Hawai'i taking us to places where we dared not dream 10 years ago. And that is so wonderful. So Kaho'olawe means all of that, at least to me." Four hālau hula performed, together and then separately. All the hula were original compositions, composed specifically for the Kaho'olawe event. The dances

described the pain endured by the island in the past and the rejuvenation occurring there now. Something happened during the hula that seemed to sum up or symbolize the entire Kaho'olawe struggle. Military scheduling forced the helicopters to depart during the performances by the final two hālau. Despite the racket of the flying machines and the onslaught of the thick swirling dust, the hālau steadfastly continued dancing and the chanters raised their voices so they could be heard above the engines. In the glaring face of foreign military intrusion, the Hawaiian culture proudly continued. Dr. Emmett Aluli of the PKO and Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance Commission summed up the day: "It was a historic time in our history as a people, as a nation, to gather with the kūpuna who have been supportive of our efforts to end the bombing of Kaho'olawe." "What we did today collectively will be talked about for a long, long

time," Frenchy DeSoto said that evening, adding that "we planted the seed for all Hawaiians in Hawai'i to practice their culture. It was the first planting to show the world that our culture doesn't just exist in antiquity, and in the museum. It exists today." * * * For too long Kaho'olawe was a victim of militarism. Over the last 50 years the United States used the island for target practice, assaulting it with untold numbers of bombs, rockets and other tools of destruction. This destructive use left the island's proud heritage partially | obscured. Kaho'olawe, in ancient times known as Kohemālamalama o Kanaloa, or simply Kanaloa, was dedicated to that major Hawaiian god and held a special plaee in Hawaiian spirituality. It was revered as a pu'uhonua (plaee of spiritual refuge). It was also a plaee where astronomical and navigational knowledge was imparted. It is dotted with hundreds of archeologieal sites. But bombs have no use for spirituality and culture. But in the 1970s, a group of champions for the island emerged — the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana. Since then they have struggled to wrest Kaho'olawe from federal control. PKO members looked with hope to this weekend of ceremony as the beginning of the end of their struggle. The PKO was able to transport, feed and provide for the safety of 350 people on Kaho'olawe. Notwithstanding the activities of the military, this was the largest gatheting of humans there in modern times. The whole operation went smoothly, and the PKO handily coordinated public access. This point was a source of pride for Les Kuloloio, who played a major role in hosting the scores of visitors. "Right now we — the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana — are capable of beginning stewardship on island," he said. Kuloloio said he is praying that the PKO will be indeed granted stewardship. " We're ready. It's only right." The Hawaiian people, as well as the other residents of the state, are ready for Kaho'olawe to be returned. Pono wale nō ia — it's only right.

Two maps of Kaho'olawe are available from the Hawai'i Geographic Society: a 24" X 24" color 1929/1947 USGS topographic map for $6 and afolded 1980 metric map for $5. Write the Hawai'i Geographic Society,P.O. Box 1698, Hon. HI 96806 or eall 536-3952

lf you're Hawaiian, be it. Don't wait for someone to tell you you're Hawaiian. If you're Hawaiian, practice your culture.-- Pariey Kanaka'ole

OHA Trustee Thomas K. Kaulukui, Sr. states his purpose before ascending the mua. Assisting him is Keali'i Reichel.